Walkabout with John Hogg

The new Famously Hawick Walking Tours provide visitors with a personal introduction to our five premium producers as well as taking in the rich history and heritage of Hawick too.

People from Hawick call themselves “Teries", after a traditional song which includes the line "Teribus ye teri odin". There is a Border Ballad with the same name by James Hogg, The Ettrick Shepherd, from 1819.

As a proud Teri and someone who has worked in the knitwear industry all his life, who better to guide you around the famous Cashmere, Tweed and Whisky Town than Hawick’s very own John Hogg.

I am very proud to be a Teri, born and bred in Hawick in May 1958. After being educated at Burnfoot Primary School and Hawick High School, I went on to work in the knitwear industry in Hawick for 42 years. I started out working on the shop floor before going into management, before retiring from Johnstons of Elgin in July 2020 as Business Improvement Manager.

Hawick is of course world famous for being a rugby town. Rugby has been, and continues to be, a huge part of my life. I played rugby for Hawick PSA, Hawick Trades, and Hawick RFC, and represented South of Scotland at all age groups and senior level. Following retirement from playing, and a short spell in coaching, I progressed into rugby refereeing for 11 years, refereeing to international level.

The Hawick Common Riding is the first and largest of the Border Festivals, and I was honoured to be Hawick Cornet in 1983 and I married my Cornet’s Lass in 1985. We have two sons, Graham and Stuart who both played/play rugby at international level. We have 4 lovely grandchildren.

Now that I am retired, I am proud to play an active role in the community. I am presently Chairman of the Hawick Common Riding Committee, Hawick Volunteers Group, The Hornshole Greenway, and secretary of Hawick Ex-Cornets & Acting Fathers’ Association. I am past President of Hawick Callants and 1514 Clubs and have served on other Common Riding-related Committees, as well as on Hawick RFC.

I am very proud of Hawick and feel privileged to have the opportunity to welcome visitors to my hometown and to share my expertise in the knitwear industry with visitors on the Famously Hawick Walking Tours. I look forward to welcoming visitors to the Cashmere, Tweed and Whisky Town and aim to make them as fun, informative and unique as possible.